U.S. Pat. No. 4,001,742 entitled "Circuit Breaker Having Improved Operating Mechanism" describes a circuit breaker capable of interrupting several thousand amperes of circuit current at several hundred volts potential. As described therein, the operating mechanism controls the powerful operating springs that open and close the circuit breaker contacts. Once the operating mechanism has responded to separate the contacts, the operating springs must be recharged to supply sufficient motive force to the movable contact arms that carry the contacts.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/214,522 filed 18 Mar. 1994 entitled "Handle Operator Assembly for High Ampere-rated Circuit Breaker" describes an assembly for manually charging the circuit breaker contact closing springs.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/218,287 filed 28 Mar. 1994 entitled "Latching Arrangement for High Ampere-rated Circuit Breaker" describes the latching arrangement used to retain the powerful operating mechanism springs from driving the circuit breaker contacts to the closed position.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/265,877 filed 27 Jun. 1994 entitled "Handle Interlock Arrangement for High Ampere-Rated Circuit Breakers" describes restraining the circuit breaker contact closing springs until the circuit breaker operating handle is in a fully retracted position.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/304,331 filed 9 Sep. 1994 entitled "Positive Charge Indicator Arrangement for High Ampere-Rated Circuit Breaker" describes interlocking the circuit breaker charging springs indicator flag by means of a logic plate and logic lever to prevent the charge indicating flag from signaling until and unless the closing springs are fully charged.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/266,409 filed Jun. 27, 1994 entitled "Sequential Close Interlock Arrangement for a High-Rated Circuit Breaker" describes the interaction between a closing link and the circuit breaker contact closing springs to prevent operation of the circuit breaker closing button.
When operating circuit breakers remote from the circuit breaker enclosure, devices such as holding solenoids, closing solenoids, and the like are used to release the circuit breaker contact closing springs. Such devices are described within U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,301,433 and 4,301,434. However, with the powerful contact closing springs used within such high-ampere rated circuit breakers, remote closing devices, per se, are not capable of protecting the remote closing solenoid from damage when the closing solenoid is continuously energized.
One purpose of the invention is to provide a field installed remote circuit breaker contact closing operator that is able to withstand repeated closing attempts without damaging the closing solenoid.